Only the Best Homemade Cinnamon Rolls

All it took was one bite and the husband was already asking me to make them again (despite the full pan we still had). Forget about those cans of cinnamon rolls you can buy at the grocery store. The dough is always dry and tasteless. If you're going to indulge in a cinnamon roll, really indulge with something sweet and buttery and gooey. It requires a bit more work than popping open a can, but it is so worth it.

Cinnamon Roll Recipe adapted from here.
Cream Cheese Frosting recipe adapted from here.

Ingredients: 
Dough

1/4 -ounce package yeast
1/2 cup warm water
1/2 cup scalded milk
1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter, melted
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg
3 1/2 to 4 cups flour

Filling

1/2 cup butter,melted (plus more for pan)
3/4 cup brown sugar (plus more for pan)
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon 

Frosting
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 tablespoon milk, optional

Directions:
In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water; set aside. In a large bowl, combine milk, sugar, butter, salt, and egg. Add 2 cups of flour and combine until well incorporated. Pour in yeast mixture. Gradually add in remaining flour until the dough becomes easy to handle. Knead dough on a floured work surface for 5 to 10 minutes (this can also be done with the hook attachment on a standing mixer). Roll dough into a ball and place in a greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel. Allow dough to rise until it doubles in size, about 2 hours.

When it doubles in size, punch down the dough and roll it out into a 15x9-inch rectangle on a floured work surface. Spread softened butter (from the list of filling ingredients) over the dough. Mix cinnamon and sugar together then sprinkle over buttered dough.

Start at the 15-inch side and roll the dough into a log, pinching the edge together to seal. Cut the log into 12 sections.

Grease the bottom of a baking pan with butter then sprinkle with sugar (if desired). Transfer the cinnamon rolls to the pan, placing them close together. Cover with plastic wrap or a damp towel and let the dough rise for 1 hour.

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Bake rolls for 25 minutes or until the rolls are lightly browned.

While the rolls bake, make the frosting. In a large bowl, whip cream cheese, butter, and extract until creamy and well combined. Gradually add powdered sugar. If your frosting is too thick, add milk and stir.

You can either wait until cinnamon rolls are completely cooled to frost or you can let them cool slightly then frost. This will cause your icing to melt a bit, but there is nothing better than a warm cinnamon bun in my book.

Enjoy!

~Krissy

More Breakfast Recipes
French Toast in a Mug

Homemade Hash Browns
Individual Bacon and Cheese Quiches
Monkey Bread Muffins 
Pumpkin Oatmeal
Quiche in a Mug

Three Layer Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

So today is Eric's mom's birthday! (Happy Birthday Edye!) She loves carrot cake and found a recipe for a three layer carrot cake with a cream cheese frosting that she couldn't wait to try. Together we baked the cake, making a few alterations as we went along, and it turned out absolutely fantastic. It had everything you'd want in a carrot cake: carroty, cinnamon-y, and ginger-y. And the cream cheese frosting . . . to die for.

naked carrot cakes

Cake Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 cup pecans, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup raisins
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup water
1 teaspoon lemon zest, finely grated
4 eggs
3 cups shredded carrots

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line the bottoms of three 8-inch cake pans with waxed paper or parchment and grease the sides of the pans with cooking spray. Set aside.

In one large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, pecans, and raisins. In another large bowl, whisk together the vegetable oil, lemon zest, and eggs. Stir in the carrots, then gradually mix the flour mixture into the liquid mixture. Divide the batter evenly between the three cake pans.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool then remove the cakes from the pans and place on a rack. Let the cakes cool completely.

cream cheese frosting

Cream Cheese Frosting Ingredients:
3 8-ounces packages of low fat cream cheeses, softened
12 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), room temperature
3 cups powdered sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 pinch of salt
1-4 tablespoons of milk

Directions:
Beat the cream cheese and butter in a large bowl on medium-high speed until mixture is smooth. Add the vanilla, lemon juice, and salt. One cup at a time, beat in the powdered sugar. Add the milk a tablespoon at a time until you have the consistency that you want. 

Place one cake on your serving platter and spread approximately 3/4 cup frosting on top of the cake. Stack the second cake on top and spread another 3/4 cup frosting on top. Add the final cake on top and spread a thin layer of frosting on top of it. Place the cake in the refrigerator for one hour to allow frosting to set. Store your leftover frosting in the fridge as well. Once frosting has set, frost the rest of the cake.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Enjoy!

Happy Birthday!

 ~Krissy